Crane



nFan. 7, 1947. A. FAURE ETAL 2,413,7'Ol

CRANE Filedoct. v15, 1942 2 sheets-sheet 1 ANTOINE FAURE yowi Jan. 7, 1947. A FAURE ETAL 2,413,791

` CRANE Filed 001.15, 1942 2 sheets-sheet 2 i :if 14 l l i 345 LWN@ .:S l 'i l Si 44 -24 l 3Q M /HvEw/Tofes:

A mms FA w25 Anm/NE FAURE Patented Jan. 7, 1947 CRANE Andr Faure and-Antoine Faure,VV Firminy, France vested in the Alien PropertyA Custodian Application October 15, 1942.," Serial N0'. 462,078 In'France September 24, 1941v 11 Claims.

This inventionrelates to cranes and more particularly tocranes having a span adjustablebetween wide .limits and'is concerned more specilically throughnon exclusively with those cranes wherein the span may. be` varied lby shifting the lifting point of themed.

OneA disadvantage of'existing. cranes particu.- larly;thosexused for lifting materials such as ashlars,igirders orj'oistsinithe `erection of buildings is that Athe. crane 'operator must remain .in a cabin positioned in .some cranes at .the base of the crane thereby preventingrisaid operator from perr ceiving the-correctfposition where the loadzhas to bezdischarged or; in othercranes,..midway.or at the" topi of thecran'e'f mast, this. involving vdanger for the operatorandz. subjecting him .to tiring strains duetojerks andoscillations ofthe mast during-service .operation of the crane.- 1

A primary object of .the invention is to provideia novel lor. improved adjustable span. crane avoiding the aforesaid; 'disadvantages' and incorporating. safety meanswhereby the r.islr...ofac cidents'zdue to vbreakage or: collapseofthecrane may. beobviated orzminimizedwhere an attempt to lift A`a Vloadzexceedinga prescribed. limit consistentwith'span is Ainadvertently made.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved crane 4as aforesaid wherein the safetymeans .involve the Lutilisation of those unbalanced.V conditions- 1 which may arise between jibiand` couni'ferjilcldue to an.undu1y large load for; stoppingthe .lifting action eitheri: by `de'- clut'ching the prime mover from the hoisting gear or by.causing saidrgear to come to an inoperative position;y

A further object :of the'invention is tov .provide an. improved: crane as aforesaid. wherein the jib and counterjib insteadpf: being unitedrigidlyto a stationary point on the-mast headare .connected to a lever pivoted tosaid head, .the rocking motion-ef said .lever -due to-.a tilting stress onthe jib being transmitted by tripping .meansso vas to'instantaneously-bring about the required declutching action.-

A still `furtherobjeci'f offthe --invention is to provide vlan improved. craneA as aforesaid particularly-utilisable for handling ymaterials used.

forthe erect-ion of .buildingsand havinga struc.- ture `permitting thefcraneoperator to stand on a door. off the buildingzpbeing erectedA or zon an adjacent-scaffolding at thef-most favorable vspot forzmanually#controlling the operation of the cra-tieythis` possibility- -being largely due to the prorisionof.; theffprime movera at .the :base end -of thecentral mastof vtl'nercrane .andito the; arrangement of adjustable. `controllers 'having-means such vas operating handles ,movable -alongbars extending..thr,oughout the height of said mast. Still a .further object of the invention is to providean vimproved crane as aforesaid wherein the..several-.operations such angularly adjusting1the jlb,A raising .and lowering the load, and varying theispanfare, ensured by a common prime morerlocated inthe; lower region of the crane mast and: through clutches and `gears operable from -said adjustable handles.

And a still furtherpobi-ect of the,- invention is to provide :an `improved crane as aforesaid wherein.v variation Yof the load-carrying span is controlled1through a drum arrangement whose axis is coincident with the pivotal center .of the mast head.v n

With these and such, other objects inviewas willinciden-tally appear hereafter, the invention comprises :the -novel construction, combination andarrangement of parts that willnow be descrihedwin Vdetail with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings illustrating a convenient embodiment of the same and forming a part-of the present disclosure.

Inthe drawings:

. Figure. 1 is .a fragmentary detail. view showing the` mastjieademechanism of a crane according to .therinventiom wherein variations of the loadcarryingnspan is obtained. by means of a carriage traversable along a horizontal jib.

' Fig. :1A isan enlarged detail of the revoluble mast head and pivotedleverassembly Aof Fig. 1.

Figure-.2 is an isometric view showing the crane mast and operating'and controller meansassociated, therewith. f

Figure/3 isa .view showing on a much-smaller scalethecrane in itsentirety manyv parts being omittedy forthe sake of clearness.

As illustrated, the crane jib 2 which has a latticestructure is hinged at 2 to the mast head 3 .revolubly supported Vbetween rollers 5v. The counterl'ib- 6 also -oflattice structure. is tted witha c ounterweighjl .l and is also rhinged-at 6' tofthe mast `head 3.

Tie Sorl guyl rods or wires -8, 9 connected to the jib and vcounterjib, -respectivelyfare fastened to a cranked lever VInpivotedat one eend' II to the topvoftheymast -hea-dzandhaving its stroke limitedin .bothdirections: by abutments (not shown). The: other 4el1.d.:of-the lever. l0 is forked and operatively connected-toA an Vupstanding hollow tripping shaft I2.

.The jib'z supports .a traversable carriage-I3 operated Yby'a cable: I4 (hereafter: referred to as 3 the second cable) passing over jockey pulleys I5, I5. This cable is driven by a transmission (hereafter referred to as the secondary transmission) which includes a drum I6 actuated through a bevel gear I1 by an elongated sleeve I8 loosely surrounding the shaft I2 and actuated in turn through a straight gear I9 by an upstanding shaft 20. This shaft extends throughout the height of the lattice crane mast 2| (Fig. 2) and is provided at its lower end with a reverser 22 comprising a bevel gear and a clutch of known type. Said reverser is controlled by a suitable rigging 23 linked to and operated by a controller bar 24 extending along the mast 2l, said bar being fitted with an operating handle 24 clamped thereto by an adjustable bush 24".

The drum I6 which drives the cable I4 for traversing the carriage I3 may be formed with a groove for holding said cable. Alternatively, the cable I4 may be so wound as to form several convolutions on the drum I6.

The hoisting cable 25 (hereafter referred to as the first cable) is secured at one of its ends at 25 (Fig. l) to the outer end of the jib 2 and carries a hook 21 forming a load grapple. Said cable passes at the top end of the mast head over an overhead pulley 28 and then extends downwardly through the hollow shaft I2 and mast 2 I. The lower end of the cable 25 is secured to a winch 29 or a similar actuator which may comprise, as shown, fast and loose pulleys 30* forming a clutch and operated by a rigging 3I operated by an upwardly directed controller bar 32 extending along the mast 2I and provided with an operating handle 32 clamped to said bar by an Vadjustable bush 32".

In order to permit the mast head 3 to be revolved upon its supporting rollers 5, said head 3 is rigidly girdled by a toothed ring 34 meshing with a pinion 35 actuated by an upstanding shaft 35 extending down to a declutchable reverser 31 similar to the reverser 22. Said reverser 31 forms part of a transmission (hereafter referred to as the primary transmission) and is operated through a suitable rigging 38-and controller bar 39 from an operating handle 39 clamped to said bar by an adjustable bush 39".

A single prime mover 4I constituted for example by an electric motor located at the bottom end of the mast 2I drives the winch 29 and the reversers 22, 31

The controller bars 24, 32 are linked at their upper ends through a tumbler 42 to a fork 43 embracing a portion of the central shaft I2 deiined between a pair of anges thereon and thus operatively connected to said shaft so as to respond to its axial displacements, the latter causing the tumbler 42 to rock about its axis and to impart a translatory motion to the controller bars 24, 32.

It will be understood that the operating handles 24', 32', 39' can be moved along their respective carrier bars 24, 32, 39 owing to the provision of the adjustable bushes and may be clamped thereto at any suitable position so as to suit practical requirements responsive to the particular work to be effected by the crane in each instance,

e. g, to match the progress of erection of a building in a yard served by this crane. As shown in Fig S, this crane is assumed to be of the travelling type and comprises a base carriage 44 having wheels 45 for rolling on rails such as 46.

The foregoing possibility is illustrated in Fig. 3 which shows diagrammatically a building in the course of erection, assuming three fioors to havev already been laid and the crane operator to stand on the uppermost floor whence he can readily supervise the work and control the Operation of the crane by means of the operating handles 24', 29', 32" which are assumed to have been preset on their respective bars 24, 29, 32 to a corresponding level.

The operation of the crane will be readily understood from the foregoing without requiring additional explanation so far as the raising of the hook or grapple 21, the traverse of the carriage I3 along the jib 3, and the rotation of the mast head 3 upon its rollers 5 are concerned.

The safety device incorporated with the crane lassembly operates as follows:

Assuming an unduly heavy load to have been grappled rby the hoisting hook 21 and a lifting stress to be exerted on it through the cable 25, it will be understood that the balance between jib 2 and counterjib 6 will be broken, whereupon the jib 2 at once tilts to a slight extent, thus pulling the tie rod 8 and rocking the lever I0 clockwise as shown -by the arrow x in Fig. 1. This moves the vertical shaft I2 down and through the fork 43 operates the tumbler 42, thus moving the bar 32 as though it were manually controlled by the operating handle 32'. As a result ofthis, declutching takes place and the winch 29 is brought to a standstill, thus precluding further hoisting stress on the hook 21 and preventing the jib from further tilting and breaking or capsizing the entire crane.

As, moreover, the crane span may be varied by a traverse motion of the carriage I3, a heavier load might be lifted at y than at y' and the motion of the carriage I3 from y to 'y' might prove to be dangerous since the maximum load must gradually dwindle down during that motion. Hereagain, the safety means operate in the same wayin response to a `downward tilt of the jib2 a corresponding pull on the tie rod 8, a rocking of the lever IIJ, a lowering of the shaft I2 and an operation of the bar 24, thereby declutching the drive at 22 and bringing the carriage I3 to a standstill priorto its reaching a critical position during its outward stroke along the jib 2.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the numerous objects, of the invention are fullled in a crane having the aforesaid structure and that while allowing of easy supervision and Inanipulation of the crane, said structure precludes all accidents arising from overloads on the grapple due regard being paid to the span connoted by the position occupied by the jib carriage when said grapple begins to exert its lifting stress.

Numerous minor constructionaldetails might be varied without departing from the scope of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A crane comprising a mast surmounted by a revoluble head including a toothed ring, a jib and a shorter counterweighted counterjib both oppositely` hinged to said head, a lever pivoted to thehead `top and connected by ties to the outer ends of the jib and counterjib, a carriage traversable along the jib and supporting a flexible member carrying a load grapple, a prime mover at the lower end of the mast, a primary transmission including a declutchable reverser between the prime mover and mast head toothed ring, a

secondary transmission including a declutchable'- gear `between the prime mover and jib carriage, intermediate means on the mast head guiding' the. flexible member, a declutchablev actuator for;

said memberoperated Aby the. prime mover, .controllers including handles adjustable heightwise along'V the crane mast and :respectively connected to said declutchablegear, actuator and reverser, and tripping means interconnecting saidlever and thosecontrollers serving the jib carriagev operating lgear and grappleA actuatorto iautomat-v ically'bring the last-named controllers into de# clutching position responsive to unbalance betweenl jib 'f andcounterjib.`

2. A crane-'comprisinga mast surmountedY by a revolublev head includingI a peripheral `toothed ring, a jib anda counterjib mutually balanced andbothl oppositely 'hinged to the head; a lever pivotedtothe top ofthe masthead and connected byv tie rodsto the outer ends of the jib and counterjib, a carriage trav-ersable along the jib and supporting a cable carrying a load grapple, a prime mover at the base end of thev mast, a primary transmission including a declutchable reverserfbetweenA the prime mover and masthead ring, a secondary transmission including a declutchable gear between the prime mover and jib carriage, intermediate means on' the mast head guiding the cable, a declutchable'actuator for said cable operated by the prime mover,y manually operable controllers adjustable heightwise along the crane 'mast and connected respectively to said declutchable-gear, actuator and reverser, and tripping means including a shaft and tumbler interconnecting said lever and those controllers serving the jib carriage operating gear and grapple actuator to automatically trip the last-named controllers into declutching position responsive to unbalance between jib and counterjib.

3. A crane comprising a mast surmounted by a revoluble head, a jib and a counterjib mutually balanced and oppositely hinged to the head, a lever pivoted to said head and tied to the outer ends of the jib and counterjib, a carriage traversable along the jib and supporting a cable carrying a load grapple, a motor at the base of the mast, a rotary element coaxial with the mast axis and a declutchable gear between the motor and jib carriage, a pulley guiding the cable on the mast head, a declutchable Winch for said cable operated by the motor, controllers including handles adjustable heightwise along the crane mast and linked respectively to said declutchable gear and Winch, and tripping means interconnecting said lever and controllers to automatically bring these controllers into declutching position responsive to unbalance between jib and counterjib.

4. A crane comprising a mast surmounted by a revoluble head, a jib and counterjib mutually u balanced and oppositely hinged to the head, a lever pivoted to said head and tied to the outer ends of the jib and counterjib, a carriage traversable along the jib and supporting a first cable carrying a load grapple, a motor at the base of the mast, a transmission including a second cable passing over a drum coaxial with the mast axis for driving the jib carriage from the motor, said transmission including a declutchable reversing gear, a pulley guiding the iirst cable on the mast head, a declutchable winch for said iirst cable operated by the motor, controller bars extending vertically along the crane mast, said bars being respectively linked to said declutchable gear and winch, a handle adjustable along each of said vertical bars and tripping means interconnecting said pivotable lever and bars to automatically bring these bars into declutching position responsive to unbalancing of the jib and counterjib under an undue load on the grapple.

' 5. A crane comprisingza mastv surmounted-,by a revoluble head` having a peripheralv gear ringpa jib anda counterjib .mutually balanced and oppositely hinged tothe head, a lever pivoted'to said head and tied totheV outer endsof thetjib and counterjib, ya carriage traversable along. the jib and supportinga first cable icarryinga .load grapple, afmotor at -the base of the mast, a prie mary-'transmission including. a declutchable 'freverser between the motor and masthead ring,` a secondary transmission including a second cable passingover'a drum. coaxial with the mastaxis balance between jib and counterjib under an .undue loadon the grapple, said.. tripping means including a shaft coincident with the masi-axis and having projections engaged by a fork on the pivotable lever and another fork on a tumbler linked to said two bars.

6. A crane comprising a mast, a mast head revoluble on rollers at the top of the mast and having a peripheral gear ring, a jib and a counterjib mutually aligned and balanced and hinged to opposite points of the mast head, a cranked lever pivoted to the top of said head and tied to the outer ends of the jib and counterjib, a carriage traversable lengthwise of the jib and supporting a rst cable carrying a load grapple, an electric motor in the lower region of the mast, a pri-mary transmission including a declutchable reverser and an upstanding shaft carrying a pinion interconnecting the motor and mast head gear ring, a secondary transmission including a second endless cable guided over jockey pulleys on the jib and over a drum on the mast head, said drum being coaxial withv the mast and operated through a bevel gear having a sleeve extension carrying a straight gear operatively connected to the motor by a shaft and a declutchable reversing gear, a pulley guiding the iirst cable over the mast head, a declutchable winch for the first cable operated by the motor, a set of three vertical coplanar controller bars including handles clamped to said bars and adjustable thereon along the crane mast, two of said bars being respectively linked to said declutchable gear and winch while the third bar is linked to the declutchable reverser operating the `mast head gear ring, and tripping means interconnecting said cranked lever and said two bars so as automatically to bring these bars into declutching position responsive to unbalance of the jib and counterjib under an undue load on the grapple, said tripping means including a hollow shaft loosely housed in said sleeve extension and having flanges engaged by a fork on the lever and an other fork on a tumbler linked to said two bars, the rst cable being freely led through said hollow shaft.

7. A crane comprising a mast surmounted by a head, a jib and a counter jib mutually balanced and oppositely hinged to said head, a lever pivoted 7 to said head and tied to the outer ends of the jib and counter jib, a carriage traversable along the jib and supporting a iiexible member carrying a load grapple, a prime mover adjacent the b'a'se f the mast, a transmission including a declutchable gear between the prime mover and jib carriage, intermediate means guiding the flexi-bleV member on the mast head, a declutchable actuator for said member operated by the prime mover, tripping means operated by said pivoted lever, a link and lever connection extending heightwise along the mast between said tripping means and declutchable gear, and a second link and lever connection extending heightwise along the mast between said tripping means and declutchable actuator whereby the unbalancing of said jib relative to the counter jib will actuate said lever, tripping means and connections to automatically bring said gear and actuator into declutching position.

8. A crane according to claim 7 further comprising manual control means adjustable heightwise along said connections.

. 9. A crane comprising, a mast, a jib and a counter jib oppositely hinged to the mast, hoisting means carried by said jib, driving means for said hoisting means, means including an interof the free ends of the jibs in opposite vertical directions, and means controlled by thelmovement of said tie means for automatically disconnecting said driving means from the hoisting means.

10. A crane comprising, a mast, a jib and a counter jib oppositely hinged to the mast, means including a tension cable interconnecting the free end portions of said jibs for mutually balancing the latter, whereby upward pivotal movement of one jib will permit downward pivotal movement of the other jib, hoisting means carried by said jib, driving means for said hoisting means, and means controlled by the movement of said tension cable for automatically disconnecting said driving means from the hoisting means.

11. A crane comprising, a mast, a jib and a counter jib oppositely hinged to the mast, means including a tension cable for mutually balancing said .libs whereby upward pivotal movement of one jib Iwill permit downward pivotal movement of the other jib, hoisting means carried by said jib, means for operating said hoisting means, and means responsive to a predetermined movement of said cable by said jib for rendering ineective said hoist operating means.

ANDR FAURE. ANTOINE FAURE. 

